The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-05-28
THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
II.
(Theoretical.)
BY REV. AUGUSTA J. CHAPLIN.
(Oak Park, ILL

minds of many nominally Christian
people, no answering intelligence. 1t is
to them part of the common religious
cant-one of the many expressions used
euphoniously, or with the vaguest feel
ing, that they are some way sacred and
useful, as we'll as habitual, and proper
to be used in the technical phraseology
of the church. The name in the bap-
tismal formula is, to them, nothing
more than this.
One who knows something about God
the Father, and Christ the Saviour Of
souls, is generally without any clear
idea of the Holy Spirit. If one cannot
recite that formula of theology which
speaks of "three persons and God, and
Of each as 1.-THE very and eternal God,"
he is apt to be silent. And if he does
repeat it, he has not the smallest intel
lectual light upon the nature or possi-
bility of this union of the three in one
and one in three. This is the source
of endless confusion in the orthodox
mind. If each of these is God, then
each is the object of worship, and a
being to whom prayers are to be ad-
dressed. If these are but three aspects
of one being, why speak Of three per-
sons =? Why look to one rather than
the other Why think of salvation by
the Son rather than by the Father?
Why look to the Holy Ghost for inspi-
ration and comfort, rather than to the
Father or the Son?
Some of these difficulties are thought
to be avoided by the supposition, in the
case of the Son, Of dual nature. The
Son as man, it is said, is of like nature
to other men; he is essentially human,
though endowed with inspiration from
the Father, that penetrates every pulse
of his being, making him the perfect
man; so that while we are in full SYM
pathy with him as man, we worship
him as God. But in the case of the
Holy Spirit no such evasion is possible.
There is no suggestion of a worldly or
human side. God the Father is a spirit
certainly. Is the Holy Ghost the same
spirit, or is this third person of the Or
thodox trinity another spirit-a separ-
ate person?
- These questions serve to show the
difficulty of the subject as it is present
ed to those who cling to belief in trim
itarianism. With the solution of these
questions however, we of the Liberal
faith have nothing to do. To us there
is Zone God and Father of all, who is
over all, and through all, and in all. :"
| (Eph. iy. 6, r. Wa Spirit every
where present, everywhere immanent.
I'm him we live, and move, and have
our being" says st. Paul; and he adopts
the language of Cleanthes, who, in one
of his hymns, says: eve are also his
offspring" The human soul, as the
child of God, and therefore in organic
relations with the infinite Spirit, is the
conception we are to attain through an
understanding of this language That
/ God created man in his own image, can
only mean that man is in the likeness
of God spiritually-th the attributes
of the human and finite mind are, in
kind, like those of the divine and inf
mite mind. 1t is only through this mys-
terious tie which binds us to the infinite
Father, that we can know anything of
him; of his truth, his law or his love.
Through our kinship with the Eternal
we also have spiritual sense Of sight,
of sound, and of touch. We may see
him if we are pure in heart we may
hear his voice if the ears of our souls
are unstOpped we may feel his near
ness if we have faith. GAS God is in
the universe" writes Aristotle, land
the universe is in God" it is clear that
the divinity in us is the universal mover
of mans mind. This was theory not
only familiar to the Greek philosophers,
OuO OhO WlliOh hhOt nIoO DOCu lIOLu car
liest times familiar to the Hebrew
mind. We find it all through the Old
Testament. In the early ages, even be-
fore the priesthood was established, the
people felt that God was so near that
they might talk with him almost face
to face. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
the patriarchs, judges and prophets, all
communed with the divine presence
continually.
We find the Psalms full of this idea.
"Whither shall go from thy spirit, or
whittier shall l flee from thy presence
If l ascend up into heaven, thou art
there; if | make my bed in hell, be-
hold thou art there. If l take the
wings of the morning and dwell in the
uttermOst parts of the sea, even there
shall thy hand lead me, and thy right
hand shall hold me-" 1.-The spirit of
man is the candle of the Lord" tThe
Lord hears when l call" 1.-The Lord
gives me counsel. " Thou wilt light
my candle" The Lord my God will
enlighten my darkness" f" Almost num-
berless passages of similar import might
be cited but these, with others, that
readily reeur to memory, are sufficient
n. H.. ~